After the Island
by JustASimpleTailor
Summary: After the chaos of the hunt and the fire on the island, the boys are rescued by a naval ship and are taken back home. They try to get back into the groove of regular life, but something is holding them back. The memories of the death of Simon and Piggy are still fresh in everyone's minds and the boys are having trouble adjusting. What will happen to the boys, and how?
1. Ralph

Disclaimer: I did not write the characters of Ralph and Jack, only Roger. If the writing seems like it varies, it has! It's just the other author's writing. Thank you and enjoy!

Across the water and passed the reef, Ralph could see his rescue. For the time spent imagining it, he suddenly felt that it just wasn't enough. It wasn't enough just to be rescued and brought back home to England so that everyone just moved on and told him he was safe now. The only people in the world who could possibly feel the same were on this island with him, and Ralph didn't want to talk about it with them.

Wishing he had a clean shirt to wipe his tears off on, Ralph stood up and brushed the sand off of his frayed shorts and turned to the naval officer. "I-I think we're ready to go," he tried to say with at least a shred of dignity.

Some of the littluns were chattering softly together and scooping handfuls of sand together in poorly built sandcastles. Jack sat on a log with his cap in hand staring down at the sand forlornly.

The officer took a step closer and appeared to have shaken himself out of a daze. "Is everyone here?"

Jack sprung off the log and quickly seemed embarrassed at his sudden movement. "Er, maybe not everyone. I'll, uh, I'll be right back."

With that, Ralph watched him scamper off along the beach towards a twisting figure, stark against the rest of the scorched ground. Castle rock stood lonely and foreboding, like a relic from a lost time. The sailor stared after Jack amusedly before asking, "Do you suppose I must've gone with him?"

Ralph and the other boys shrugged their shoulders without giving the man so much as a glance.

"You're a quiet lot," he said to himself. "I can't imagine any of you acting as you were when we found you."

Ralph shook his head and muttered, "No, sir."

The sailor glared slightly at Ralph, as though expecting a hint of sarcasm, found none, and sighed, turning to stare back at the ship rocking gently with the waves. Directly in front of the group was the small rowboat in which the man had come ashore. Ralph gestured at it, clearing his throat.

"You think we should start to bring you boys back?"

"I suppose so," Ralph said, trying to find the authority he had once spoken with. "I'll stay back with the rest if you take the first group."

The officer nodded approvingly, already starting to pick out boys to go back with him on the boat. "Once there," he said, "we can bring more boats ashore and this will go faster."

Ralph felt more fatigued right now than in any other point in his life. He felt like laying down on the sand and listening to the water lapping at the shore for the rest of eternity. The fire had long since died down, ending when there was nothing left to burn, and the boys seemed to match its energy, sitting around lethargically and aptly ignoring each other.

Ralph noticed Roger sitting a little distance away from the rest, fidgeting nervously with a leaf, tearing it into pieces and then tearing those pieces into smaller pieces, until it was nearly indistinguishable against the pale sand. He had become the quiet choir boy from so long ago once again, though Ralph got the impression that this was not permanent.

Before long, the boat returned and more boys climbed in, Ralph making sure the smallest ones didn't fall before resuming his blank stare at the ocean.


	2. Jack

Jack could hear the muffled voice of the officer quickly fade as he ran to castle rock. He had to climb up the familiar path that he had first climbed with Ralph as they looked for the beast. At the top was the littluns that had been left when Jack's tribe went to hunt Ralph. Wilfred sat near a rock his hands and feet bound in vines, Wilfred had tear streaks down his face that had washed away the layer of dirt on his face. Wilfred whimpered at the sight of Jack but Jack said nothing, not even a sorry. Jack grabbed his knife the one he had used to sharpen the spears, cut off the pigs head and chop the meat to be roasted. The Littluns all flinches at the sight, all Jack's response to this was looking over them with one last taste of power before he got to leave the island. He sliced the vines from Wilfreds wrists then his feet.

"Go down to the beach, Ralph is there… There is a man here to rescue you." Jack told them.

The thought of going home caused them all to jump to their feet and run down the slope to the bottom of the castle rock. Jack looked at the horizon, at the reef. He looked at the black trees and the large platform like rock where Ralph had held the first meeting. Jack helf the knife in his hand for a second before throwing it to what remained of a small fire they had made for a feast the night before, he would no longer need the blood stained knife. Jack ran down after the small boys the beach where Ralph stood watching others load on small row boats. Roger sat on the sand letting hand full of sand fall between his fingers. SamnEric just whispered to each other. Soon the last row boat came and Jack sat in it with the other boys. The boys sat silently as the boat moved toward the ship. Soon all the boys sat on that Navy ship looking at the island with relief and fear, Jack replayed memories as he studied the island and the people around him.

"You boys must be hungry you all look starving, let's get you some dinner." One officer said at the rest looked at the boys getting specially stuck on the thought of what had happened to those with deep wounds.


	3. Roger

**In this Chapter I also wrote the perspective of Sam. I apologize if this is confusing.**

Roger at once went from the savage he had become to the quiet boy that he had been before. He was taken to a rowboat where he sat across from Samneric, who avoided making eye contact with him. The bruises on their faces shone a dull purple and the sight made Roger vaguely proud of his handiwork. He didn't let the look show, however. There was an _adult _in the boat with them and he knew they would separate him from the others if he showed signs of violence he had been free to show back on the island.

When they had finally reached the naval cruiser, all of the boys stood on the deck, waiting for the others. The last boat came and went, dropping off an indiscernible handful of littluns and then the friendly officer who had found them stood in front of the crowd on a box, holding a megaphone. The officer was sweating, probably from the heat and the thick wool of his uniform. None of the boys seemed to notice the heat, preoccupied with their own fantasies and ways of coping with the world around them.

But Roger could feel the sun beating on his back, but it wasn't the thing making him sweat. The thought of being discovered gave him unimaginable anxiety. When he killed Piggy, he felt ecstatic, almost proud of his work. This hasn't changed, but a thin layer of fear had settled over his mind. If Ralph or Samneric told, his dark secret would be revealed. _Roger enjoys the pain of others. Lock him up with rest of the crazies._

"Right. Now that we've got you all," the end of the man's words had a distinct twang. _American. _"We're going to assign rooms, alright? You put your things in there, and we'll get you something to eat, okay?" the man looked at the faces in the crowd, looking for a confirmation that they had heard him. Roger looked around as well. Ralph nodded faintly, Jack looked as pale as a ghost. Sam nodded dully and Eric didn't even look up from his shoes.

The officer was joined by another, more severe looking man who led them across the deck and down a stairwell, down into the belly of the ship. The boys walked in a single file line, Roger slipped to near the front, and they slowly made their way down.

This distinctly reminded Roger of when they had been loaded onto the aeroplane just weeks ago. Mothers kissed their children goodbye, Fathers were there to offer a word of encouragement, but Roger had remembered the crying. They were crying like they were never going to see their children again, and now that he thought about it, he supposed a few of them were right. Roger's father hadn't bothered to say goodbye. Not that he cared. Roger was fine with this and boarded the plane early, taking a seat in the back.

After what seemed like an endless maze of piping and blank white walls they reached a door. The man opened it up, and stepped aside for everyone to look in. It was a wide space with about sixteen bunk beds, and a few cheap paintings on the walls. There was a metal support beam in the middle of the room that stretched across the ceiling, casting shadows from the overhead lamps. A few mattresses leaned up against the wall, ready for use. "If there isn't enough bunks, we'll put down some sleeping bags. Take your pick." the officer said. Littluns poured into the room and Roger shoved past them, choosing a bunk in the corner. A shy littlun took the top bunk.

From his vantage point, Roger could see everyone from where he was sitting. Samneric's bed was directly beneath the metal beam. Ralph was near the door, sharing a bunk with the littlun named Percival. Jack was in a bunk adjacent to Roger and Roger looked at him. There was still traces of his war paint on his face. Roger had washed his off before the boats came, transforming at once from a savage to a normal, if bruised, looking boy.

The officer stood in the doorway. "Now that you have beds...Dinner is being prepared in the galley. Right this way, kids." and all of the kids shuffled out of the doors obediently like rows of soldiers.

Sam was speaking quietly to Eric, whose face was stained with streaks of tears. Eric saw Roger looking at them and started crying harder. Roger rolled his eyes and got into line, following a long line of littluns that were all dead silent. Sam got in line too, but this time without Eric.

When they had finally reached the mess hall, a cheerful looking man was doling out servings of what appeared to be fish and chips. The children automatically perked up at the smell of food and a few even began wiping away their tears and taking servings of the food. _How simple their minds must be...to forget what had happened at the sight of food and a warm bed._

Roger took a plate and sat at the far end of the table. Littluns steered away from his table as if there was a force keeping them from sitting there. Roger didn't mind, but he had hoped that at least Jack would sit by him. They were both choir boys, after all. The choir seemed to have broken up and all members of the choir were scattered around the room.

After a few minutes of eating, Roger saw Sam stand up, his hands shaking nervously. The officer supervising spoke to Sam quietly and Sam nodded, whispering something about going back to the quarters. Roger watched them leave with the slightest curiosity. What had Eric been doing this whole time?

He got the answer when he heard Sam's mournful cry coming down the hallway.

* * *

**(Sam)**

When Sam got back to the sleeping quarters, his first dim thought was _why is there something hanging from the ceiling? _Sam couldn't even process that the thing hanging from the ceiling could be Eric, hanging from the ceiling support with a noose made of bedsheets and string. When Sam finally realized that the blue faced, limp shape was Eric, he was forced out of the room by the officer in charge.

The officer took one look at the corpse hanging from the ceiling and made Sam turn away, but the damage had already been done. Sam let out a mournful wail, calling out Eric's name, clawing at the officer. He tried to get back into the room so that he could help Eric down.

Surely Eric wasn't dead? Maybe his heart was still beating? But Sam remembered the jagged angle that Eric's neck had been at, and he lost all hope, his knees giving out. The Officer looked unsure of what to do and he placed a hand on Sam's shoulder, anchoring Sam to reality. A figure came down the hall, a dark haired figure whom Sam recognized as Roger. _The angel of death._

The officer yelled at Roger to get back, and Roger was gone in an instant, disappearing from the corner of Sam's eye. The officer picked Sam up and took him down the hall to his quarters, setting Sam onto a cot. Sam felt his breathing slow almost automatically, and he sank into the merciful arms of sleep.

* * *

Eric had been by Sam's side all along. Ever since the twins could remember, the other was by the other's side, like a benevolent presence. Always there, in the corner of the other's eye. When they had built forts in the middle of the living room, Eric had been there to help prop up pillows and pull the sheets over the empty spaces. Whenever they had gone to see a moving picture, Eric had been right next to him, his imagination running wild as the movie spurred on his mind. Sam could not imagine a world without Eric, asking him to forget Eric would be like asking an amputee to forget that they had ever had a right arm. It was simply impossible.

For a moment, Sam is angry. Eric wouldn't be the one who would have to cut himself away from the other and become a single entity. No longer Sam-and-Eric. Now it would be...Sam-and….just Sam. They had been practically joined at the hip, and now one was gone and Sam would be left to carry the scar. Split down the middle. The other half always hanging on the edge of consciousness. Nearly forgotten by everyone else but vivid to the boy who had shared a name with the other.


	4. Ralph (01-05 16:14:01)

Ralph couldn't sleep. He had imagined it would be simple to just… give in and rest—and he was exhausted—but there was something about the peaceful, almost eerie silence that forbade him to sleep. Ralph groaned, sat up, and proceeded to push his blanket and pillow off the cot until he had made a bed on the floor. This, he found was much more comfortable than the cot, since he had grown used to sleeping on the hard ground.

And yet he continued to toss and turn.

Jack, Roger, and the rest of the choir were no more than five feet away, and though the smallest sound would bring an officer running, Ralph was still…scared. There was no other word for it, and although Ralph hated to admit it, he was scared of them.

Jack's painted face was smeared all over himself and the pillow he was using. He hasn't even bothered to wash it off yet. Roger looked to be sleeping peacefully, almost like he was enjoying a pleasant dream. Sam looked so small and alone, and even though he seemed to be sleeping soundly, almost as if he had passed out, Ralph didn't even want to think about what would happen in the morning.

The ladder to the top bunk creaked and Percival dropped the last few inches to the floor, as he was too short to properly step from the last step to the ground. "Ralph!" he attempted to whisper, though it ended up being something slightly less than a yell.

Ralph looked up at the littlun to see him hopping up and down, shifting the weight onto either foot. "What do you want?"

"Ralph, I haffago!"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

Percival managed to stop moving long enough to give Ralph an inquisitive look. "Aren't you chief? Aren't you in charge?"

Ralph rolled back over to face the opposite direction. "No. Not anymore. There's grown ups now."

He didn't pay any attention to Percival struggling to open the big door to the room, grunting under the size of it. Ralph must've started to fall asleep, since the sound of the door opening again startled him awake, and he watched as an officer helped Percival onto the top bunk.

Eventually, after what seemed a terribly long night, Ralph awoke to light streaming through the port windows and specs of dust dancing around his head. The room was almost entirely empty, and it unnerved him to not be with people. Never had he liked being lonely.

After taking a few wandering steps around the room and then exiting, Ralph heard the tittering voices of the littluns who had found a spot in the hallway to sit in a circle and play games. Even on the island, they had stuck together, and it amazed Ralph how easily they had become friends. Day one, they had begun to talk to each other as if old acquaintances, like they had known each other all their life. At what age did children begin to choose their friends instead of taking what was given to them?

Ralph looked down at his tattered clothes and felt his long hair. He pondered the various bruises and scrapes he had earned from the thistle bushes and living carelessly. There was dried blood and grime under his jagged fingernails. Ralph sighed.

When he finally made it above deck, he watched as a few boys leaned over the railing watching as the ocean went by, and some talked to the sailors, trying to look and feel older than they really were.

Ralph tensed as he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning around to see the man who had come ashore and rescued the boys. "I need to talk to you, son."

Ralph crinkled up his nose. "How so?" He didn't like the idea of a talk with a grown up, at least, not yet.

"You said you were the one in charge, and that two boys had been killed. I need to know how and who they were." The words held a heavy connotation, as if the death were immediately impacted by the fact that Ralph was in charge.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Ralph whispered, turning to leave. The man's grip on his shoulder tightened.

"Listen son, it's very important that-"

"MynameisRalph."

The officer looked slightly embarrassed and cleared his throat. "Right, sorry. Ralph, it's important you tell an adult what happened so we can contact family members. So you can all go home!"

Something about the statement was nagging on the back of Ralph's mind, but he couldn't quite figure out what bothered him about it, until a thought suddenly occurred to him. "And not to some facility?"

The officer wore a surprised expression on his face. "Do you think that's necessary?"

Ralph tried to shrug away the question, but apparently, his facial expression didn't coincide with what he was trying to portray.

"Son, er, Ralph, what happened?"

Ralph resolved firmly not to cry today, as he had already cried in front of an adult yesterday, and that had been embarrassing enough. He began calmly, until his story seemed to spiral out of control, "There was a plane crash, and only we survived. No grown ups. We tried to do what they would've, we really did! But Jack wanted to hunt the pigs and I wanted to keep the fire going so we could be rescued. But there was the beast. And Simon… and Piggy just wanted to get his glasses back, so I went too because I was chief. And then… and then… I was running because Jack and Roger were going to hurt me. Then the island was on fire and there was yelling and I couldn't see. I thought they were going to kill me like they did…" Ralph gasped for air, the officer looking on worriedly.

"Are you sure it wasn't all in your head? Heat stroke, exhaustion, shock, dehydration?"

"No!" Ralph said unbelievingly. "Ask anyone else, they know what happened." He found himself glaring at Jack and Roger, standing together but speechless and completely unaware of the conversation he was having.

The officer tried to smile reassuringly. "I'm sure they wouldn't actually hurt you."

Ralph stood with his mouth agape, wanting to say the words stuck in his throat.

"Take a deep breath. Let's go eat some breakfast, and then we'll talk about it all together."

Ralph didn't know which one was more daunting.


	5. Jack (01-05 16:14:27)

Jack stood near Rodger though they did not talk, they had not really talked since rescue. A kind looking soldier walked up to them holding a wet cloth which he held out to Jack.

"You should wash off your paint, game's over." The soldier told Jack with a smile.

Jack took the cloth but did not clean off his mask, instead he just stared at the cloth trying to decide if he was going to allow the mask to be taken from him.

"Don't you want to be clean?" The officer chuckled

Jack's mask had been smeared and caked with dirt and sweat on top of the dried blood and ash. He did want to be clean but Jack worried about what it would cost. Jack decided it would be best if he cleaned his face maybe then the soldiers wouldn't look at him the ways they did, as if trying to figure out who could be under the mask. Jack rubbed away the grime that was plastered to his skin scrubbing away the dirt that club to his cheeks. When Jack removed the cloth now full of dirt he could feel the wind against his now dm face. He also realized he could not hide behind his mask, he could not be judged to be made fun of, to not be able to stand up for himself. He remembered when he left Ralph's tribe and no one joined him yet his mask kept him from the humiliation of being alone one thing he was not safe from when they first elected a leader knowing nothing about the two boys running just how they looked and who held a shell.

Jack looked to Ralph who even the Choir who knew Jack had voted for.

Ralph had been talking to a soldier but they were parting ways when Jack had looked over. When Jack looked at him he also thought of Simon and the feasts, and looked to Roger who reminded him of Piggy. Jack felt sorry and mad at the same time along with the reflex to blame others.

Jack thought about how if Ralph had just let Piggy come up to Castle rock instead of leaving him behind or if Simon had not left the tribes to be on his own. Jack went to the edge of the ship an watched the water rush by clashing with the side of the ship causing water to spray up.

Someone came to stand next to Jack, When Jack turned to see who the figure was he found Henry Who had been a Choir boy with Jack before the crash. They had never talked much before the island Henry and Jack would have little conversation here and there the longest one was about the sermon preached that day, but the days of Sermon's were over when they all got on that plane. Jack and Henry said nothing to each other similar to Roger and Jack minutes ago but it was more comforting to stand by Henry then it was Roger.


	6. Roger (01-05 16:14:41)

So, I've heard the story from your friend over there." the soldier gestured at Ralph. Roger's gaze flickered from Ralph to the Soldier to Ralph and back again.

"Yes, sir. And what did he tell you?" Roger saw the uncertain look on the soldier's face and added: "I want to make sure he didn't leave anything out."

The soldier scratched the back of his head. "He said that you and...whats-his-name...Jack, set fire to the island and tried to kill him."

Act stupid."Is that what he told you, sir? I'm sorry about him, I really am, but Jack and I were having a bit of fun, playing cowboys and savages. He was the cowboy, and he got a bit scared, see, we really got into character. His imagination was always a bit...hyperactive at the academy. Thought he saw the ghost of ol' Bill Shakespeare in the boy's toilets once. The dorm warden had to calm him down."

Secretly, Roger was furious with Ralph blabbing to the officer about the island. But he kept himself composed and continued his story calmly. Musn't let the grownups know that what Ralph has said was true.

The soldier nodded, something that looked like disappointment on his face. "He also said that there was a beast. Do you know anything about this?"

Roger gazed absentmindedly out at the sea. They had finally started moving again, heading for the british coast. Then he turned to look at the officer. "The littluns thought that there was a beast-a great big snake or something that would come out of the sea. For a while, I even believed it. Of course, in the end, we all knew that it wasn't real. Beasts only exist in children's stories."

The soldier nodded, as if Roger's story had confirmed something.He probably thinks we're all crazy."Thank you…."

"Roger."

"Thank you, Roger. Your story was quite helpful." the soldier smiled with uncertainty and then turned away, walking towards a door on the far side of the deck which Roger knew was the captain's quarters. Roger pretended to be looking out at the sea, and once the officer disappeared into the door, he snuck over to the door, and pressed his ear against the wall.

"Sir, they seem to all suffer from some sort of delusions." the officer's familiar voice, though muffled, was easy to pick out.

"Is that so? Do any of them seem like...they'll do what that boy did last night...What was his name?" a deeper voice replied.

"Eric, sir. No, they don't seem suicidal, but a lot of them...they don't respond to us talking to them. It's like...they're in their own world."

The other, older sounding man cleared his throat. "Then you suggest we send them to an institute? Somewhere where they can go back to normal?"

"Yes sir. I know just the place, sir."

"And where would that be?"

There was an awkward pause. "My sister, she had problems as a child...With nightmares. My parents sent her there, and she improved greatly, sir."

There was the creaking of a chair, as if someone was sitting back. "We'll give it a try. I've already notified the mainland that we have all these kids onboard. We can talk to their parents about this decision."

"Very good, sir." was the reply and footsteps approached the door. Roger scrambled onto the main deck and pretended he was looking out at the sea again. He heard footsteps coming up behind him and then a hand on his shoulder. Roger flinched slightly at the contact.

"Just letting you know, son, we'll be at the mainland tomorrow morning."

Roger nodded absentmindedly. "Alright, sir."

The soldier paused with uncertainty, as if deciding that the conversation was over. And with that, he walked away.I don't have to go home.


	7. Ralph (423)

_A kite drifting in the open, blue sky. Nothing in its way, but it's tethered to the ground, so what does it matter?_ Ralph shook himself free of the memory, wondering how long he had gazed blankly at the table. As soon as breakfast was announced, he realised he wasn't hungry. It didn't seem like anyone else was, either, lightly picking at the contents of their plate.

Ralph felt a presence behind him and turned around to see another officer staring down at the boys sitting at the table strangely. Ralph himself turned to look for what held the officer's attention.

"I've never seen a group of boys eat nothing but fruit."

Each boy took turns gazing about the table, looking at each plate and coming to the same conclusion.

"Ever heard of bacon?" the officer asked sarcastically.

Ralph had almost forgotten what Jack looked like without his painted face. When he had seen him only minutes ago, the only thing he recognised was his flaming red hair. Jack half growled, "I don't eat pig."

Ralph found himself nodding along, subconsciously agreeing before doing a double take on Jack. He didn't have the mental energy to confront him at the moment, but maybe later he could ask the question, _since when? _

Sam, who looked like an absolute wreck, added, "Neither do we… I."

Before long, a chorus of, "I don't eat pork either," and "I'd rather not," circled the table. Ralph busied himself by watching the second hand on the officer's watch go around and around and hoping he wouldn't be asked directly his reason for not eating pork.

As soon as was possible, Ralph left the table without eating anything and tried to find his way back to the room he shared with all the others. There had been a rumour going around that they would be arriving in the British isles within the next 24 hours, and whether it was true or not, Ralph couldn't help but get excited.

While on the island, Ralph had never allowed him to think about his family much, because thinking about them would make him cry, and he didn't like crying in front of people, especially when he had been chief. But now that he had been rescued, and it seemed as if all his worries had gone away—or at least, most of them; some of them were on this ship with him—he began to fantasise.

Going home. Those words had been taboo on the island, to keep the littluns from crying and the bigguns from thinking too hard. But when Ralph got home, they would eat breakfast around the table like normal humans. His mother would smother him in kisses and he would try to escape her. His father would ruffle his hair and Ralph would sit on the table watching him clean his uniform. He would let Ralph try on his hat, and even though it was much too big for him, he liked to pretend he was in the navy, in command of a large ship. He was on a ship now, but it wasn't quite what he had planned.


	8. Jack (423)

Jack was not sure how he felt about going home, but it was not home he was afraid to see again it was his father he replayed every possible greeting and conversation in his head so when his father opened his mouth Jack would be ready for the disappointment spoken as if having the name of a Merridew meant more than who your family was. It was his father who had made him wish to be called Jack instead of Merridew when they crashed on the island.

After breakfast Jack was quick to leave, not out of fear or anger but annoyance, the soldiers had seemed to almost tease the boys for not eating the meat and Jack longed for his mask back he thought with it he would not care what the soldiers words were. He seemed to find himself some peace when he sat on the small beds given to them when rescued, he could close his eyes and pretend the island was just a dream Piggy's death, Simons all a dream, he could pretend he was at his house sitting on his bed petting his Beagle, Harry, Who had grown with Jack. But the Island was real and the deaths did happen. Jack opened his eyes and looked around t what was not his room. Jack had found every time he tried to forget about the island the memories were even stronger, even more powerful, as if he could almost relive them and almost change them. He looked around to see that some littlun had come in to take a nap on one of the bunks, for no real explanation Jack felt that the littlun had trespassed. When the littlun had shifted to try to fall asleep he had also opened his eyes to see Jack and quickly looked away. Jack took this as fear and felt both proud and very guilty so he too looked away, and left the room to watch the ocean pass by on deck, it seemed this was common among the boys maybe it was due to the soothing sounds of water or because they had seen the water looked to the horizon almost every day on the island.

While Jack looked out to the endless water it seemed that a group of boys consisting of Bill, percival and some littluns who Jack had not cared to remember the names of scream out and pointing some soldiers rushed over look look at what they saw but Jack assumed it was just some dolphins or whales which they had come across over the past day, it was not until he here the soldiers yell out and the ship stop that Jack became curious of what they had found and so he watched men rush around and tell the boys standing around to leave but most of the boys just stayed. Three men jumped into a rowboat and lowered down to where Jack could not view soon to rise again holding something. Jack inched closer wanting to know what was in the boat soon the men got out and together worked to lower some object, after a minute of staring Jack realized it was a boy whose face was almost gone and had only one half arm and no legs the boys skin had become grey and what peeling apart layer by layer. Black spots were scattered around the peeling skin. Somehow even with this Jack and the other boys knew who it was Jack could feel the blood drain from his face as someone cried out.

"Simon."


	9. Roger (423)

Roger took one look at the body and a mixture of pride and disgust swelled up in him. _How had his body had gotten all the way over here?_Was his first thought and his second thought was: _did we really do that to him? _

"You boys know who this is?" a deckhand asked, his face turned away from the corpse that they were putting into a body bag.

Everyone started muttering. Roger nodded. "Yes, we knew him. He died." The soldier shifted and turned to look at the body again, the only hand that was left was hanging over the side of the body bag.

"God, you kids, what you've gone through,no wonder yo-." the deckhand stopped abruptly. Ralph's face fell. Roger knew that Ralph knew better than anyone that their story sounded crazy. Roger smirked. _Boy, are you in for a surprise._ Roger was still the only one who knew about the plan to send them to an "institute". He hadn't even talked to Jack since they had gotten on the boat, since Jack didn't seem interested in talking. Roger was content on his own, anyway.

* * *

Roger leaned back on a deck chair, observing the interactions of the littluns, and felt little interest in what they were doing. Useless littluns, didn't even understand what was going on if it walked up to them and slapped them in the face. Roger smirked and turned to look at the sea. He saw what looked like a faint black line on the horizon.

_Is that the coast?_ Roger thought, looking at the ever-so faint line in the distance. Roger felt a twinge in his chest. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his father again, unless his sister was there, she made it bearable. He almost looked forward to seeing her, but it was an almost bittersweet thing, she had always been the favorite child, and his father didn't punish her for anything.

_Father will be more than glad to have someone else take care of me. Not that I need taken care of anymore. _

Roger would find the most pleasure in watching the children reunite with their parents, if only to figure out who had raised the others into the cowards that they were. Ralph probably had terribly gushy parents, Samn...Sam's parents were probably pushovers, and Jack probably had some noble military family. But the best part would probably be seeing Piggy's aunt, wonder where her fat little nephew had gone. He wanted to let them know that even if they were off of the island, he was still in control.

_She's probably as stuck up as he is. Was._

Whatever the case, Roger never thought that he would look forward to seeing the mainland again.


End file.
